


On The Road

by ForensicSpider98



Series: Love After the Fact [17]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Biology, Alien Cultural Differences, All this stress is bad for the baby, Altean Adam (Voltron), Altean Prince Lance (Voltron), Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Aromantic Asexual Pidge | Katie Holt, Balmeran Hunk (Voltron), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Galra Shiro (Voltron), Galran Prince Keith (Voltron), Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, M/M, Moral Ambiguity, Moral Dilemmas, Multi, Nonbinary Pidge | Katie Holt, Olkari Pidge | Katie Holt, Post-War, it's keith. keith is the baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:22:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23219944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForensicSpider98/pseuds/ForensicSpider98
Summary: Keith mends a bridge all by himself! AND we see him working on leader-y stuff before being interrupted by his silly husband.Also, what could possibly come of my lead-in at the very end of the shot? Stay tuned to find out!
Relationships: Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Alfor/Coran (Voltron), Allura/Lotor/Romelle (Voltron), Haggar/Zarkon (Voltron), Hunk & Pidge | Katie Holt, Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: Love After the Fact [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1635043
Comments: 13
Kudos: 208





	On The Road

**Author's Note:**

> Please be careful not to catch or spread any illnesses! Just because YOU might be fine doesn't mean the person next to you would be. I know you're all wonderful people, and will do your best to protect you and your fellow person <3<3<3

There’s a knock at the library doors before they open. Keith sets his datapad and tablet aside, managing a smile that’s more polite than anything else. Lance smiles back, far more genuine. “Hey.”

“Hey.” 

“Wanna get out of here?”

“What, like out of the library?”

“Out of the castle.” Lance dances into the room, gossamer cloak sweeping the floor. Keith notices that his lips are painted, his eyes lined with a gold kohl. He’s wearing more ornaments in his ears than normal. So long as he himself doesn’t have to put that kind of effort into anything, he’d be delighted to get out of the castle for a bit. “What are you reading?”

“Atra Yelverton’s ‘The Natural Art of Leadership’. It’s… dense. I don’t like what he says, either.”

“Which bit, specifically?” Lance peers over at the tablet.

“Yelverton says that ‘a true leader possesses charisma, an inherent trait that can neither be learned nor taught. Additionally, many of the qualities which an effective leader possesses are inborn as opposed to learned.’ In other words, he says that leaders are born, not made.”

Keith’s ears droop. He’s aware he’s not a leader. He’s quiet and stunted and knows more about roughing it in the wild than he does leading anything.

“Well, you'll be pleased to know that while there is some truth to his teachings, he’s also been proven largely discredited. Skills that make someone a leader can be learned and applied, though certain people are more effective leaders than others and some are not effective at all.” Lance gently takes Keith’s hand, guides him to his feet. He gathers his spouse’s datapad, leaving the tablet at his desk.

"So what makes the difference?"

“See, everyone is born with a base quintessence, right? Blue, yellow, green, red, purple, or black. Some, usually people who are exceptionally complex or who are transitioning, have a blend of two or even more.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Certain-” The Altean squeaks as he bumps into the seamsmaster turning a corner. “Hello, Ventroneius. So sorry!”

“Your Majesties! Good morning!” The turquoise-scaled Altean smiles, pushing their powder-blue hair out of their eyes.

“How are Anahal and Orzal?” Lance asks, carrying himself and his spouse through formal pleasantries. Keith tries to learn his tricks. 

“Anahal is as beautiful as ever and Orzal is teething and thus eating the furniture whenever our eyes aren’t on him. So, wonderful, really! How about yourselves?” So Anahal is their spouse and Orzal must be their son.

“We’re doing well, thank you. Today we’re going into town. I think it might do some good for Keith to be seen amongst the commonwealth. They have quite a negative idea of him, since they’ve not yet actually seen him.”

“They do indeed. I've heard the courtiers laughing about it. The commonwealth fancies him quite the monster, I can tell you. I think they imagine him more Zarkon’s size, to be honest.”

Keith sighs. He’s standing right here, and Vetroneius won’t even acknowledge him. It rather hurts his feelings, if he’s honest with himself. Although he did hurt Vetroneius’ feelings when they first met… Did he ever apologize?

“Well, I won’t keep you. I can tell you’re itching to get somewhere. You’ve grown a spot or two since last winter Crown Prince Lancel, so do come down to be fitted for a new cloak soon. Bring Prince Yorak with you.”

“Will do! See you then!” Lance tries to pull them along, but Keith hangs back, calling after the seamsmaster. Lance put them back on being-in-the-same-room terms, now it's up to him to work out the rest. If he can.

“Vetroneius!”

The Altean in question turns, eyebrow raised in question.

“I- Um. I’m sorry. A-about the gloves. It’s- They took my knife first thing when I got here, and- My claws were all I had left to defend myself with. I didn’t realize the significance they held and I didn’t explain why I didn’t want to wear them and-” Keith sighs. “I’m sorry I ruined them. I know you worked hard to make them for me.”

The Altean studies him for a moment, face inscrutable. “It must have been quite alarming, to arrive in a place that is meant to be your new home, and be treated like a criminal upon your arrival.” Vetroneius sighs. “Nevermind, your Majesty. From this moment forwards, let’s consider it a fresh start between us, shall we?”

“Yes. Thank you. For everything.” 

Vetroneius smiles, bowing deeply, and Keith gives him a small bow in return before Lance squeezes his hand, tugs him along toward the gate. “Come on! We have to get shreika from the stables before we can go!”

Shreika are nothing like red elk. They have four legs with four toes ending in little hooves, are covered in green and pink scales, have a ridge of spines down their necks, and a tail full of feathers. They also have forked tongues. One opens its mouth to shriek and it sounds like a screaming baby. 

“Why does it _sound_ like that?!” Keith yelps.

“I’ve no idea. It’s unnerving, though, isn’t it? But despite their looks, they’re quite lovely. Though there was an unfortunate incident with a shreika and one of Allura’s mice once… Chu was fine, thank the Ancients, but we learned a lesson that day.”

"Lesson being?"

"Mice are delicious."

“And it’s just like riding an elk?”

“I’m not sure I know what that is. You squeeze it with your legs to make it go or go faster and you use the reins to tell it which direction to go?” Lance clicks his tongue and his shreika lowers its front legs into a kneeling position. Keith hesitantly does the same, swinging his leg over the saddle. To his relief, nothing horrible or embarrassing happens and the shreika gets to its feet without incident.

“Where are we going?” Keith asks, squeezing the animal’s side with his legs. It moves oddly, with a sort of side-to-side motion like a grounded sky lizard. It’ll take some getting used to.

“I was thinking the local florist. They have a more concentrated variety of plants, so we might pick a few different things to try in our garden.”

“It’s going to get crowded in there soon.”

“I know. Adam’s already on it. We might set aside a section of the grounds for you. Adam could teach you a few things… I’m glad I made that garden. You seem to really like it.”

“I like being outside. Grew up outside, for the most part. Only came inside to sleep, really. More recently, living in castles, I find the enclosed space makes me uncomfortable.”

They approach the gate, the one the guards wouldn’t open the few times Keith hand bothered to try.

“State your name and business,” a guard demands.

“Their Majesties Crown Prince Lancel and Prince Yorak. Our business is our own. Open the gates.”

With a single wave of the guard’s hand, the white metal gates opened without a sound. Keith thinks to himself that a gate should make some noise, so that people might hear if it is being moved when it’s not supposed to be. He might take the futile step to mention it to Alfor.

The ride down the hill from the Castle of Lions into City Square is a long one, taking just over a varga. Keith hardly minds. The animals are singing, the trees chiming in the breeze. Various flowers hum and resonate. The sky is a cloudless blue overhead, the sun shining cheerfully. 

It’s only the second time in over a phoeb that Keith has smelled free air.

“Feels good, doesn’t it? I haven’t left the castle since… Quiznak, it’s been more than two phoebs now. I married you, and before that I had my birthday nonsense to deal with.”

“I was born on the dark of the moons,” Keith offers, hoping Lance might find it interesting.

“Say what now?”

“On the night I was born, both of our moons were new, meaning that they were dark. It’s rare.”

“Wow. All I know about moons is from my studies. We don’t have a moon, obviously.”

Keith sucks on his bottom lip for a moment. “You can see one of them sometimes. From here, I mean. It looks almost like a star; very tiny.”

“Will you show me?” Lance is excited, the little pink spots in his blue opal eyes glittering as he offers Keith an open grin.

“Sure.” Keith smiles.

The moment Lance's back is turned, he scowls. Lance is one of those people where every time he smiles, the people around him smile, including Keith. There's something about him that makes Keith want to make him smile more. He doesn't like it. 

Except he does.

"Do you know a lot about the stars? I always wanted to learn, but I never got around to it. Too busy with other things."

"My father taught me. I know their names, but your sky is a bit different."

"Will you teach me? I'd love to learn. I've always wanted to see the stars. Go to space. It's so romantic, out there with so many opportunities and things to discover."

"I learned a long time ago. I'll teach you what I remember." Keith sighs. "It is beautiful in space. You feel... free. Like you could go anywhere. Do anything. Be anyone."

Keith's ears droop, tail limp against his mount's scaly hide. He remembers the one and only time he found himself in space.

_Say the word, and we will never reach Altea. I swear it._

**Author's Note:**

> Next time on Love After the Fact: Flash back to Keith's last day on Daibazaal!


End file.
